Aeroplane kites



Sept. 26, 1961 R. D. HOCKETT AEROPLANE KITES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Oct.9, 1959 w w 8 m w o w 4 l M k a o d 8 6 as 8 mt INVENTOR.

PAL/ H 0. HOCKETT loo BY Sept. 26, 1961 oc T 3,001,747

AEROPLANE KITES Filed Oct. 9, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

RALPH 0. HOC/(E 7'7- 8 BY United States Patent @fiice Patented Sept. 26,1961 3,001,747 AEROPLANE KITES Ralph D. Hockett, P.O. Box 433, Bristow,Okla. Filed Oct. 9, 1959, Ser. No. 845,506 2 Claims. (Cl. 244-154) Thisinvention relates to novel aeroplane kites.

The primary object of the invention is to provide kites of the kindindicated which involve wing stubs, set either high or low on fuselagesand airfoils including rudders, and/ or ailerons, which areautomatically operated to stabilize or return the kites in level flightand/ or to return the kit% to level circular flight, upon any deviationstherefrom.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in kites of the characterindicated above, pendulum weight operated means for moving the wingstubs and/or airfoils in directions, from intermediate or median flightpositions, producing level flight under stable air conditions, tocorrective positions needed to resist deviations from level flight,under adverse or changing air conditions, the operating means beingpermissibly protectively enclosed within the fuselages of the kites sothat the actions thereof are not interfered with by air currents.

A further object of the invention is to provide efficient, simple, andrugged kites of the character indicated above, which enable productionthereof, at relatively low cost, in high simulative forms of existingfull-sized aeroplanes.

Other important objects and advantageous features of the invention willbe apparent from the following description and the accompanyingdrawings, wherein, for purposes of illustration only, a specific form ofthe invention is set forth in detail.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a contracted top plan view of a high wing type of kite ofthe invention, partly broken away, and showing its rudder in differentpositions, in full and phantom lines;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical longitudinal section taken through FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a transverse vertical section taken on the line 3-3 ofFIGURE 2;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary left-hand side elevation of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a left-hand side elevation of FIGURE 1, in a reduced scale,partly broken away, and showing the aileron elevated to correct aforward and downward deviation of the kite;

FIGURE 6 is a fragmentary section like FIGURE 3, on a reduced scale,showing the right-hand wing stub depressed and the left-hand wing stubelevated to correct right-hand tipping of the kite;

FIGURE 7 is a diagrammatic view showing the relative positions of thewing stubs in FIGURE 6;

FIGURE 8 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing opposite correctivepositions of the wing stubs;

FIGURE 9 is a diagrammatic view showing the relaitve positions of thewing stubs in FIGURE 8;

FIGURE 10 is a vertical transverse section taken through a low-wing typeof kite of the invention; and

FIGURE 11 is a fragmentary bottom plan view of FIGURE 10, showingaileron flaps on the wing stubs instead of on the fuselage.

Referring in detail to the drawings, wherein like related numeralsdesignate like and related parts throughout the several views, and firstto FIGURES l to 9 thereof, the highwing type of aeroplane kit thereinshown and generally designated 14, comprises a fuselage 16, pivoted wingstubs 18, a pivoted elevator 29, and a vertical rudder 22.

The fuselage 16 is hollow, is longitudinally and horizontally elongated,and is preferably rectangular and composed of a flat top wall 24,parallel side walls 26, and a bottom wall 28 which involves a horizontalintermediate portion 30, and inclined forward and rear portions 32 and34, respectively. Forward and rear end walls 36 and 38 are secured toand close the fuselage 16, at its ends. Spaced, similar forward and rearmain transverse spars 49 and 42 are secured within the intermediate partof the fuselage, as is a smaller auxiliary spar 44 which is spacedbehind the rear spar 42 and is connected thereto by a horizontallongitudinal member 46.

Extending between the main spars 40 and 42 and secured at its endtherein, at central points spaced from the fuselage top and bottomwalls, is a horizontal longitudinal shaft 48 which has journaledthereon, as indicated at 50 in FIGURES 2 and 3, an intermediate part ofa vertical weighted lever 52, which has fixed on its lower end anenlarged weight 54, and on its upper end an eye 56. A transversehorizontal shaft 58 is secured, at a location between the rear main spar42 and the auxiliary spar 44 on the member 46 and has journaled on itsmidportion, as indicated at 60, a vertical lever 62, which has anormally perpendicular lower portion 64 on which is fixed an enlargedweight 66, and a normally forwardly angled upper portion 68 which has onits upper end such as an eye 70.

The wing stubs 13 are permissibly uniform width rectangular plan formshaving convex upper surfaces 72 and concave lower surfaces 74 extendingbetween a rounded leading edge 76 and a feathered trailing edge 78.Suitably secured, as indicated at 86, and reaching forwardly beyond theleading edges 76, are journal brackets 82, which can be in the form ofstrap loops, which are spaced along the wing stubs relative to oppositesides of the fuselage 16. A stationary wing stub mounting rod 84 extendsand is suitably secured through the fuselage side walls 26, on a leveljust below the top wall 24 and reaches beyond oppositesides of thefuselage 16, where the shaft 84 is provided with shaft portions 86 whichhave spaced inner and outer stop heads 88 and 9%, respectively thereon.The journal brackets 82 are journaled on the shaft portions 86 andrelated journal brackets bear against related stop heads.

Fixed to the undersides of the wing stubs 18, in the regions of andspaced behind the shaft portions 86 are anchors, such as staples 92, towhich are secured the upper ends of flexible cables, such as wires 94,which are therefrom trained downwardly and laterally inwardl' throughsuch as eyes 96 on the upper ends of laterally outwardly angled brackets98 which are fined at their lower ends, as indicated at 100, to lowerportions of the exteriors of the fuselage side walls 26, at locations u,heath related wing stubs. Beyond the bracket eyes 96 the wires 94 passlaterally inwardly and upwardly through openings 102 provided in theside walls 26, into the interior of the fuselage 16 where the wires aresecured, as indicated at 104 to the eye 92 on the upper end of the wingstub operating lever 52.

The elevator 20 comprises a generally rectangular flat flap 106 whichhas on its forward end a centered and reduced projection 108 whichterminates in a transverse sleeve 110 which is fixed on a hinge pin 112which is journaled at its ends in hinge brackets 114 which are suitablyfixed, as indicated at 116, to the fuselage top wall 24, at a locationspaced between and from the wing stubs 18 and the rear end wall 38 ofthe fuselage, and which reach rearwardly part way across a transverseslot 118 provided in the top wall 24, as shown in FIGURES 1 and 2. Alever arm 126 is fixed to the sleeve 110 and extends downwardly throughthe slot 118 into the interior of the fuselage 18 and is pivoted at itslower end, as indicated at 122, to the rear end of a horizontal rod 124which is pivoted at its forward end, as indicated at 126, to the eye 70,on the upper end of the elevator operatmg lever 62.

trailing vertical rudder 22. The topv wall 24 is provided with angularlyand transversely spaced holes 134 which are selectively engageable by astop pin 136 which is mounted, as indicated at 138, to the rudder 22.The pin 136 is adapted to be engaged in either of the holes 134, so asto hold the rudder in either of the right or leftrudder positions, asindicated in FIGURE 1, so as to positively maintain the desired circlingpath of flight of the kite 14.

From the foregoing and from examination of PI- URES 5 to 9, correctiveselective positionings of the wing stubs 18 and of the elevator flap 196are produced gravitationally by the swinging of the weighted levers 52,62 whenever the kite 14 is made to deviate from a median horizontalflying position by any causes, such as air currents, or the pull of akite cord (not shown) attached to the kite.

The low-wing type of kite 14a, shown in FIGURES l0 and 11, has afuselage 1611 similar in construction to that described above, but thesingle elevator flap 106 is replaced by a pair of aileron flaps 106awhich are hinged, as indicated at 140, to trail from stationary wingstubs 18a which are suitably fixed to the fuselage 1602 on a level justabove the bottom wall 28a of the fuselage, as seen in FIGURE 10. Theaileron flaps 106a are transversely elongated and are positioned intransverse slots 142 provided in the trailing edges 78a of the wingstubs, and have thereon upstanding anchors 92a, to which the outer endsof operating wires 94a are secured, the wires being trained through theeyes 96a of outrigger brackets 98a, similar to but reversed with respectto the brackets 98, and enter the fuselage 16a through side wall holes102a and are secured to an eye 144 which is at the middle, rather thanthe upper end of, a weighted lever 52a, which is pivotally mounted, atits upper end, as indicated at 145, on a longitudinal shaft 48a mountedon and extending between the forward and rear spars 40a, 42a, to theenlarged Weight 54a being on the lower end of the lever 52a, below theeye 144, as seen in FIGURE 10. The wing flaps or aileron flaps 106a areoppositely operated by the compensating side-to-side swings of the lever52a to level the kite 14a out of sidewise directions from thehorizontal, in the same manner as the rotatable wing stubs 18 of FIG-UTRES 1 to 9.

Although there have been shown and described herein preferred forms ofthe invention, it is to be understood that the invention is notnecessarily confined thereto, and that any change or changes in thestructure of and in the relative arrangements of components thereof arecontemplated as being within the scope of the invention as defined bythe claims appended hereto;

What is claimed is:

1. An aeroplane kite comprising an elongated hollow fuselage havingforward and rear ends, said fuselage having top and bottom walls andside walls, wing stubs extending from opposite sides of the fuselage andfixed thereon, an elevator hinged upon said top wall at the rear end ofthe fuselage, a single operating lever on and extending downwardly fromsaid elevator, the top wall having an opening through which said leverextends, a

single vertical lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage sideWalls on an axis extending crosswise of the fuselage at a locationspaced forwardly from said operating lever, said vertical lever havingupper and lower ends, a weight fixed on said lower end, and a rigid linkextending between the upper end of the vertical lever and said operatinglever.

2. In an aeroplane kite having a fuselage having forward and rear endsand top, bottom, and side walls, airfoils extending from opposite sidesof the fuselage, means pivoting said airfoils on the fuselage to turn onaxes extending crosswise of the fuselage, an elevator on the fuselagebehind said airfoils and above said top wall and hinged on the fuselageon an axis extending crosswise of the fuselage, a pendant operatinglever fixed to said elevator, the fuselage top wall having an openingpassing said operating lever into the interior of the fuselage, a rearvertical lever pivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage side wallsin front of said operating lever, a rigid link extending between andoperatively connected to the upper end of the rear lever and the lowerend of the operating lever, and a weight on the lower end of the rearvertical lever, a front vertical lever within the fuselage andpositioned in front of the rear vertical lever, said front lever beingpivoted intermediate its ends on the fuselage to pivot on an axisextending longitudinally of the fuselage, the side walls of the fuselagehaving openings, and cables trained through said openings and connectedat one end to the upper end of the front lever and at their other endsto said airfoils, and a weight on the lower end of the front lever.

